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Office of the District Attorney
Office of the District Attorney

Media FAQ

One of the foundational values of the County of Santa Clara District Attorney's Office is Transparency. To help ensure the community that we serve is well-informed, this Office strives to give the media accurate, consistent and comprehensive information. The criminal system is complex. Please don't hesitate to ask if there is anything you may not understand about it. There are no dumb questions.

It is our goal to keep our community closely informed about high profile court cases, legal decisions, office policies and issues that weigh upon public safety in Santa Clara County. If you are a member of the working media and would like an interview with the District Attorney, or you need information on a certain case, would like to talk to a specific prosecutor, or are looking for an expert in a certain area of prosecution, please contact our Public Communications Officer Sean Webby at (408) 792-2997, [email protected] or Public Information Officer Cynthia Sumida at (408) 792- 2469, [email protected]  Neither Webby, nor Sumida are "spokespeople." While we can confirm basic information, journalists should rely on prosecutors for quotes and comprehensive information about their cases.

The County of Santa Clara District Attorney's Office prosecutes misdemeanor and felony crimes throughout the County. It is the largest prosecutors' office in California, north of Los Angeles, serving a population of about 1.8 million.

The District Attorney's Office has 640 employees, including 196 deputy district attorneys. We prosecute approximately 40,000 criminal cases each year. The Office also operates a cutting-edge Crime Laboratory.

Court files are public records and subject to public inspection, unless they have been sealed by the court. Such records can be viewed and/or copied for a fee during business hours at the County of Santa Clara Superior Court. For more information about looking up court records, please contact the County of Santa Clara Superior Court at [email protected]. 

Note: All Juvenile Court records are confidential. Journalists may petition the court to release juvenile court documents.

To request an interview, you can call Sean Webby, Public Communications Officer or Cynthia Sumida, Public Information Officer. You may also contact deputy district attorneys directly. Direct phone numbers may be found in the Attorney Directory.

The District Attorney, Chief Assistant DA, and Assistant DA's handle larger policy questions while Deputy District Attorneys handle questions related to specific cases they are handling.

California law allows accredited news organizations to videotape/photograph court proceedings in the Superior Court if permitted by the judge. This Office does not handle these requests. Requests (California law allows accredited news organizations to videotape/photograph court proceedings in the Superior Court if permitted by the judge. This Office does not handle these requests. Requests (Form MC500 and MC510) may be made submitted to the County of Santa Clara Superior Court at [email protected].

Please contact Public Communications Officer Sean Webby or Public Information Officer Cynthia Sumida. We can often arrange for a Spanish-speaking prosecutor to give you an interview. Other languages spoken in the Office include Vietnamese, Chinese, French, German, and Armenian.